Shirt



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. F. POOLEY.

SHIRT.

No. 594,278. Patented Nov. 23,1897.

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( odel.) G. P. POOLEY. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

SHIRT.

No. 594,278. Patented Nov. 23, 1897.

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Nrinn STATES GEORGE F. POOLEY, OF HAVRE DE GRACE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO BEULAH S. POOLEY, OF SAME PLACE, AND EDXVARD F. POOLEY, OF

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHIRT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 594,278, dated November 23, 1897.

Application filed April 2, 1897' Serial No. 630,426. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. POOLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Havre de Grace, in the county of Harford and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shirts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in shirts.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in arrangements and in combinations of parts, as more fully and particularly pointed out and described hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the upper part of a shirt constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of such a shirt shown expanded as when worn, the right-hand side of the shirt having the shoulder portion of the sleeve broken away to show the overlapping projection of the front reinforce and also having one corner of that part of the rear reinforce which overlaps the front reinforce turned or folded back, while on the left-hand side of the figure the upper portions of both the front and rear reinforcepieoes are turned or folded back to show the separated upper edges of the front and back of the shirt-body, a portion of the bosom being also turned back and the shoulder portion of the sleeve broken away. Fig. 3 illus trates in plan and detail portions of the front and back of the shirt-body in the positions they are held when the reinforce-pieces are to be applied thereto. Fig. lls a similar view showing the front reinforcepiece applied and extending over the space between the separate top edges of the front and back portions of the body of the shirt, dotted lines indicating said top edges. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the rear reinforce-piece applied to the shirt, as shown in Fig. 4E, and overlapping the shoulder portion of the front reinforce: piece and stitched to the front reinforce-piece and the front portion of the shirt-body. Fig.

6 is a vertical section taken down through a portion of the shirt in a vertical plane between the sleeve and neck opening.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that the ordinary construction of dress shirts comprises the front and back portions of the body united at their upper edges by inner yokes at the shoulder portions of the shirt, and that outer yokes are also provided over the inner yokes and that front and rear reinforce-pieces are secured to the outer yokes. These four yokes and the reinforce-pieces end at the armholes, and the sleeves are stitched around the armholes and to the ends of the yokes and edges of the reinforce-pieces and body portions. This common construction of shirt requires the formation of four separate yokes'and four separate reinforce-pieces in addition to the sleeves and body portions of the shirt, and a plurality of lines of separate stitching are required to connect these various parts, leaving the shoulder portions of the shirt weak and always likely to separate or tear out under the excessive strains at such portions and also leaving the shoulder portions of the stitching around the arm holes weak, so that the sleeves often separate from the shirt at the shoulder portions.

My present invention provides four piecesviz. ,two front and two back reinforce-pieces instead of the eight pieces (not considering the body portions and sleeves) of the common construction of shirtviz., the fourseparate yoke pieces and four separate reinforcepieces-and in addition produces a shirt far more durable and of far greater strength than said common construction and also reduces the quantity of material required, the number of stitches, and time and labor necessary in making the shirt.

In the drawings the reference-letter a indicates the front portion of the shirt-body, and b the back portion thereof. These portions of the body can be of the usual shape with the edge notched or recessed to form the armhole and the straight upper edges, excepting, of course, the front portion, has the intermediate notch to form a part of the neckopening. The side edges of the front and back portions are united from the armholes down a suitable distance, as usual in the completed shirt, although these side edges are usually united after the shoulder portions of the shirt have been formed.

The upper edges to b of the body portions are separated and located a distance apart between the neck-opening and the armholes and are arranged at suitable angles to each other-such, for instance, as shown in Fig. 3--to attain the proper shoulder slope in the completed shirt.

The two front reinforce-pieces c c extend down a suitable distance on the front portion of the shirt on each side of the bosom-piece cl and are stitched around their edges to the body, while the upper portions of the front reinforce-pieces are formed of a length and shape to extend completely over the shoulder portions of the shirt and the space between the upper edges 0, b of the front and back body portions and from the neck-opening to and into the sleeves and at the rear to extend over the upper edges b of the back portion and overlap the same from the back split to the sleeve-openings. The rear edge of each front reinforce is united to the portion of the upper edge b of the back, between the split in the back and a sleeve-opening, by the line of stitching 2. Each front reinforce-piece is also provided with an outward lip or projection 0, extending outwardly from the shoulder portion of the shirt beyond and over the sleeve-opening, for the purpose hereinafter stated.

The rear portion of each front reinforcepiece is formed, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5, to constitute a portion of the edge surrounding the neck-openin g to which the neckband 6 is secured and to extend down to the rear beyond the neck-opening.

The rear reinforce-pieces f f extend down a suitable distance on the rear of the shirtbody, on each side of the rear split therein, and are suitably secured to said body around their edges, and from thence each rear reinforce-piece extends upwardly over the shoulder portion of the shirt, between the neckopening and a sleeve, overlapping and extending a suitable distance toward the front on the front reinforce-piece. The front edge of each back reinforce-piece is secured to the front reinforce-piece and to the upper edge of the front portion of the body by the line of stitching 3, as more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 6. Thus it will be noted that the front reinforce-pieces extend over the shoulder portions of the shirt from the front over the spaces between the front and back body portions to the back body portion and are securely fastened thereto, and each front reinforce-piece extends from the neck-opening to the arm or sleeve openings, while the back reinforce-pieces extend from the rear up over the shoulder portions of the shirt and over the front reinforce-pieces and at their front edges are securely fastened to the front portion of the body and also to the front reinforce-pieces and also extend from the neck-opening to the sleeve or arm holes.

As the Weakest or at least one of the Weakest portions of a shirt as commonly constructed is at the shoulder, where the sleeves are joined to the ordinary yokes and body portions, in my construction I greatly brace and strengthen the sleeves at the shoulders by providing the projections or lips c, integral with either the back or the front reinforcepieces (shown integral with the front reinforce-pieces) and extending outwardly, so that when the sleeves g g are united to the body portions and reinforce -pieces of the shirt around the armholes by the circular lines of stitching 4 4 said projections c overlap the sleeves and extend outwardly along the same from the shoulders of the shirt and beyond the circular lines of stitching 4 around the armholes. These projections c are stitched around their edges to the sleeves, as shown, and hence render it next to impossible to separate the sleeves from the shirt at the shoulders.

In making a shirt in accordance with my invention the eight pieces composing the shirt (the ordinary construction of shirt described comprises some twelve pieces) are first cut out from suitable patterns, and in this connection it should be noted that the reinforcepieces I employ are so formed that they can be easily blocked out on a sheet or length of material as to leave practically no waste. The back and front body portions of a shirt are then taken and the top edges over one shoulder held at the proper relative positions (about as shown in Fig. 3) and the front piece of that side stitched thereto around its edges, thereby uniting the frontand back body portions, (about as shown in Fig. 4,) and after the front pieces have been properly stitched in position the back pieces are applied, (about as shown in Fig. 5.) After the reinforcepieces have been stitched in position the sleeves can be added and the various other parts of the shirt secured in their proper places.

It should be noted that the position of the front and back reinforce pieces over the shoulders can be reversed-that is, the back rein force-pieces can be first attached and the front pieces overlap the back reinforce-pieces at the shoulder-without in any way departing from the spirit of my invention, and as such a change in making the shirt is so obvious a separate illustration is not required.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the forms, constructions, and arrangements of the parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not limit myself to the exact constructions shown, but consider myself entitled to all such changes as fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A shirt having front and back body portions separated at their top edges, front reinforce-pieces secured to the front body portion and extending over the shoulder portions of the shirt and secured to the back body portion, and back reinforce-pieces secured to the back body portion and extending over the shoulder portions of the shirt and secured to the front body portion, said front and back reinforce-pieces overlapping over the shoulder portions of the shirt, substantially as described.

2. A shirt having front and back body portions having separated upper edges,'front and back reinforce pieces overlapping at the shoulder portions of the shirt and securing said top edges of the body portions together and forming the slope at the shoulder portions,and each reinforce-piece extending from the neck-openin g along the shoulder portions of the shirt to the armholes, substantially as described.

3. A shirt comprising front and back body portions, sleeves, and front and back reinforce-pieces extending down on and secured to the front and back body portions of the shirt, respectively, and each extending over the shoulder portions of the shirt to and secured to the opposite body portion of the shirt, said reinforcepieces overlapping on the shoulder portions of the shirt and extending from the neck-opening to the armholes and certain reinforce-pieces having projections integral therewith and projecting outwardly over and beyond the armholes and overlapping and secured to the sleeves, substantially as described.

4. A shirt having back and front body portions, the sleeves, and pieces, such as 0, uniting the top edges of said front and back portions and extending from the neck-openings to the arm-openings, each piece 0, having the projection, such as c,integral therewith and extending inside of the sleeve over the shoulder portion thereof and outwardly beyond the armhole, the lines of stitching 4:, around the armholes and uniting the sleeves to the body portion and to said pieces 0, and the stitching outside of said stitching 4:, and securing projections 0, inside the sleeves and around their edges to the sleeves, so that each piece 0, is secured to its sleeve by the two lines of stitching, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE F. POOLEY.

Witnesses:

BEoKIE TAWNEY, FRED HAMMEL. 

